Rebecca Thomas founded RTA to help nonprofits and their supporters balance their societal aspirations with business realities. She assists nonprofit leaders in making choices that build organizational health and adaptability. She collaborates with philanthropies to design and implement grant strategies and programs that better align resources to organizational needs. With two decades of consulting experience, Rebecca brings field-tested perspective about what it takes to build resilient institutions in the service of their missions.

Rebecca speaks and writes about the relationship between nonprofit finances and mission success, and she advocates for improvements in the way money flows to the sector. Her essays have been published by SMU DataArts, Grantmakers in the Arts (GIA), Philanthropy News Digest, and the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Nationally, Rebecca leads GIA’s national capitalization effort to transform how foundations and cultural institutions achieve sustainability goals through equitable investment and better management. In Pittsburgh, she is now in the third year of a collaboration with the McCune Foundation to strengthen the financial health of regional nonprofits by building local consulting capacity and providing strategic financial advisory services. Nationwide, she is helping mid-sized performing arts organizations manage opportunities, changes, and risks emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rebecca is an advisory board member for SMU DataArts and formerly served on the boards of DataArts, José Mateo Ballet Theatre and the Rock School for Dance Education.

Before founding RTA, Rebecca was Vice President at Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF), a community development financial institution that brings together investments, knowledge and advice to unlock the potential of mission-based organizations. There, she led NFF’s arts strategy, designed and implemented national programs, and directed business and product development efforts. Among her achievements was running the six-year $15 million Leading for the Future initiative, a program that combined flexible capital with advice to help leading performing arts organizations transform their business models to achieve artistic goals.

Earlier in her career, Rebecca was an award-winning Senior Economics Correspondent for Smartmoney.com, where she wrote about business and economic trends and appeared as a commentator on CNNfn, MSNBC, and Fox.

She received her MBA from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business and graduated with honors from Yale University. She lives in New York City with her husband and two adorable children.

Philip Rosenbloom helps mission-focused organizations develop sound financial strategy. Through a combination of rigorous data analysis and collaborative communication, he works with clients to reach consensus as they plan for financial health.

Through his independent consulting, and as former Manager of Nonprofit Finance Fund’s New York consulting team, Phil has worked with nonprofit clients both small and large in the arts, human services, and social justice advocacy. He has helped philanthropic institutions incorporate financial due diligence into their grantmaking practice, managed major technical assistance initiatives, and advised on the development of national data platforms for nonprofit assessment.

In the arts, Phil has worked with clients including the Apollo Theater, the Martha Graham Dance Company, Playwrights Horizons, Gibney Dance, New York Live Arts, and Dance Theater of Harlem to plan for financial sustainability and appropriate capitalization.

Phil holds a BA in Sociology from Oberlin College and an interdisciplinary MA from New York University. Phil serves as board treasurer for the Poughkeepsie Farm Project and as a board member for Community Family Development. He also serves on the finance committee of Hudson River Sloop Clearwater.

For more than 20 years, Denise DeMaio helped nonprofits articulate goals and strategies, and translate them into financially sustainable plans. She has been a lender, financial investment analyst, trainer, facilitator, project manager, board member, and consultant. She draws on experiences from her previous roles at a nonprofit organization, foundation and consulting firm.

Denise was most recently a lead consultant for KrasnePlows, where she led capitalization, strategy and operational planning engagements for a wide range of nonprofits. She also ran nonprofit finance trainings for foundations such as Tiger Foundation and Wellspring Philanthropic Fund. Before her 11 years at KrasnePlows, Denise was a lender and consultant for Nonprofit Finance Fund, where she worked nationally with over 200 nonprofit organizations across sectors.

Denise is a former board member and treasurer of Callen-Lorde Community Health Center. She holds a B.S. in Finance from Fordham University and a MPA from the Wagner School of Public Service at New York University.

Dana Britto has spent the past 17+ years working with nonprofits and foundations as a lender, consultant, and Board Treasurer to strengthen financial and operational strategies, infrastructure, and leadership capacity. As a long-time champion for advancing greater equity within nonprofit management and philanthropic practices, Dana remains a steadfast supporter and thought-partner to nonprofit leaders working to advance justice and equitable systems-change throughout the social sector.

Through her independent consulting, Dana helps nonprofit leaders strengthen financial management knowledge, systems, and practices to empower themselves and their teams to best serve their communities. Through work with clients including Nonprofit Financial Commons, Tides, and the MacArthur Foundation, Dana has supported capacity-building initiatives that support a more strategic approach to financial management.

Dana serves as the Board Treasurer for Allied Media Projects and 2nd Story and is a graduate of the Certified Nonprofit Accounting Professionals (CNAP) training program. She holds a BA in Political Science from Amherst College and spent a semester at the University of Cape Town in South Africa.

Jackie Baker brings over a decade of experience in strategy development and arts management to her consulting practice. She is passionate about organizational sustainability, good governance, and effective, happy teams. She uses systems design to break down complex challenges and combines communications, financial management, and development expertise to create holistic plans. She has held leadership positions at Pittsburgh-area nonprofits including the Kelly Strayhorn Theater and the Bricolage Production Company.

Jackie has served as President of the board at Handmade Arcade, Pittsburgh’s largest independent craft fair, and serves on grant panels for organizations such as Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, and Erie Arts and Culture. Jackie has led workshops at the Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability Conference, TCG, and the Inclusive Innovation Summit, has worked on the National Dignity & Respect Campaign, and has been a guest lecturer at Carnegie Mellon University, the Kiski School, and Point Park University’s Conservatory for the Performing Arts, her alma mater.

LaShawnda Thomas provides solutions to nonprofits’ complex financial challenges. She helps their leaders develop practical financial strategies, improve operational processes, and manage business risks. She has over 20 years of progressive experience partnering with senior management and boards of directors to deliver analysis, advice and insights that support sound financial decision-making.

Before partnering with RTA and joining Pittsburgh-based Mendes Consulting LLC as a consultant, LaShawnda served as a Senior Director at Carnegie Mellon University, leading the accounting and financial reporting department for the University. Previously, she was Director of Compliance and Internal Controls, where she assisted in overseeing policy and audit functions for the Controller’s Office of the University. LaShawnda started her career at KPMG LLP, where she was previously a senior manager in the audit practice, providing professional services to companies in a variety of industries. Her time at KPMG included a three-year appointment to the national office and experience delivering national and local trainings and seminars on accounting and auditing matters.

LaShawnda holds a BS degree in Business Administration with a concentration in accounting from Duquesne University. She is also a licensed CPA in Pennsylvania and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, National Association of Black Accountants, and Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

She currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh CLO.

Alice Antonelli provides strategic financial advice, training, and consulting services to nonprofit executive directors and board members. She previously served as a Director for Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF), where she led consulting initiatives, service delivery and product development. Alice initially joined NFF as part of the lending team and was responsible for business development and underwriting loans. Prior to joining NFF in 2002, she worked at JPMorgan Chase as Vice President for the Community Development Corporation.

She currently serves on the Advisory Committee of the National Fund for Sacred Places and as Treasurer for Hesed Academy (Nigeria). Previously, she was a member of the Not-for-Profit Advisory Committee of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and Chair of the Audit Committee of Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia. She also served as a grant panelist for both Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and New Jersey State Council on the Arts, as faculty of the NeighborWorks America Training Institute, and as a certified instructor for the Pennsylvania Quality Assurance System for early childhood education.

Alice holds a Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science from St. Lawrence University.